Joining Google 360 Community, Davis Art Center adds interior virtual tour

FORT MYERS, Fla. - May 21, 2013 - PRLog -- Abstract artist London Amara served as catalyst for last night's Google shoot, recommending the year-old service to Art Center founder and CEO Jim Griffith (http://www.examiner.com/topic/jim-griffith).

"I saw right away that it will provide both local residents and out-of-town visitors a unique way to find and search the Art Center when they are planning art destination trips to Fort Myers," said Griffith, who enjoys a reputation for being in the forefront when it comes to implementing innovative business strategies.


The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center occupies the neoclassic revival building that once served as the U.S. Post Office and later the federal courthouse.

Photo credit:  

Tom Hall, 2012


© 2013 Microsoft Corporation© 2013 Nokia

Location: 2301 First Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901
26.645412445068 ; -81.868537902832

Google 360 utilizes the same Street View technology that allows you to take a virtual walk down First Street or any street that can be located on Google Maps. But thanks to Google 360, users can now drop in and see the interiors of the buildings they find along the path of their virtual walk. "Simply drag and drop the orange Pegman on the left hand side of your screen onto an orange circle on the map," explains Google Maps. "Voila! You’ll be virtually transported through the doors, and able to pan around and explore the interior of the establishment."

Businesses looking to join the program can do so by hiring what Google calls a Trusted Photographer. In Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs and Naples, that's Mark Riehle.

"When they launched the program, Google reached out to local photographers to see who wanted to participate," Mark explained last night as he set up his tripod in the Davis Art Center's East Wing Conservatory. "My hometown (of Columbus, Ohio) already had someone, so after my training, Google sent me to Southwest Florida."

A typical shoot requires Mark to snap multiple photographs at varying exposure levels from staggered locations throughout the venue. These photographs are then stitched or merged into a series of HDR (High Dynamic Range) images that provide a panoramic view of the facility's interior.

"I've recently photographed Germain Toyota, Fort Myers Lincoln Mercury, La Motta's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria on San Carlos Blvd. and Pizza Pub and Pizza Pub Italian Restaurant (http://www.google.com/search?q=pizza+pub+ft+myers&aq=...) on Winkler," Mark shared, as he moved his tripod-mounted camera through the Grand Atrium.

Do a Google search for these establishments, and a photo, map location and link to the interior virtual tour will pop up to the right of the business' name and website address. This actually allows searchers to take a virtual tour of a dealership, restaurant, gallery or art center's interior even before they visit its website.

"The tour can also be embedded on the business' website and social media outlets such as Facebook," points out Mark, who notes that the virtual tours have been really popular with people searching for interesting and enticing restaurants, bistros and cafes in which to dine.

For her part, London Amara will now be indefinitely linked to the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center because everyone who takes a virtual tour of the Art Center's interior will see her Chaos exhibition. "Some places re-shoot their interiors once a year," Riehle says, "but most only change the tour if they undergo a major renovation."

"I'm thrilled to be associated with the Davis Art Center in this way," London effused during last night's shoot. After an five year absence, the artist has returned permanently to Fort Myers, due in large measure to the warm reception the local art community gave to her and her Chaos exhibition during its Art Walk opening night reception. "It was like getting a huge hug from family members."

The addition of the virtual tour option will give both residents and cultural tourists an unprecedented view of the Art Center's restored interior, including the newly refurbished ceilings in the entry and East Wing Conservatory. It is also likely to prompt competing visual and performing art venues, not to mention restaurants and retail shops, to join the Google 360 community. For more information about the cost and benefits associated with Google 360, please contact Google Trusted Photographer Mark Riehle at 614-634-8400 orVisionImagesPhotography@gmail.com.

The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center is located at 2301 First Street, in the heart of the downtown Fort Myers River District. For more information, please telephone 239-333-1933 or visitwww.sbdac.com.

The new virtual tour is expected to be up and running within a week's time.

Credit Tom Hall